Complicated Ever After
by xPaige Turnerx
Summary: AU. Alice/Bella. Just how far down the rabbit hole are you willing to fall?


**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, nor do I own anything familiar. ANYTHING familiar. You guys notice how unintentional plagiarism keeps happening everywhere you turn? It's like all the originality is being sucked out of the world. Sad, man, sad. **

**Rated: T.**

**Author: Paige Turner.**

**Summary: AU. Alice/Bella. Just how far down the rabbit hole are you willing to fall?**

Rules had always been in Bella's life. Rules on how she was expected to act; polite and proper, on how she was supposed to speak; respectfully and only when spoken to, even rules on how she was supposed to dress or walk; elegantly with confidence. Over the years she accepted this and followed these rules, arguing them was just a waste of her breath.

She had also already accepted that her life was decided and planned out before she was even born. Bella had learned from a very young age that the only thing she ever had to do was play out the role her parents set up for her. It was just the way things were; for her, her mother, her mother's mother, and so on. There was no choice in who you were; you just were.

No matter how much she disliked this, Bella never went against it or her parents. She wasn't the rebelling type. Future Queens do not rebel or pout; they took everything in stride and kept their calm. Bella also knew this well. It was tradition.

Years and years of tradition, all broke because of a single man. Well, a single, vile, violent man. He was Bella's fiancé, a man she had been hearing about all her life, but hadn't ever met. He was a prince, all the way across the ocean growing up in his own father's kingdom, much like herself.

That all changed on Bella seventeenth birthday. There had been come kind of civil war over there, which had postponed their wedding a long while, something Bella had been grateful for, but as soon as it was ended, Prince James had set sail.

Bella had been in the courtyard that day. She often left the castle's stone walls and stuffy rooms for the open rose garden and fresh air. She found the scenery beautiful; vibrant colours; green grass, brown bark on the trees, red rose petals. And the stained wooden bench swing. The sun was much better light as well, perfect for reading in. The tall trees surrounding the entire courtyard blocked out the powerful gusting wind, turning it into a nice, slightly breeze that played with the grass, Bella's dress, and her long hair.

A large shadow fell over Eve and the book she had been reading; Magick Myths. It was one of her favourites; full of faeries, goblins, trolls, big howling breasts that hid in the forest, eerie ghosts that haunted abandoned cottages, fire breathing dragons, and much more. Without the sun's light though, it wasn't the same. With an annoyed huff, Bella looked up.

Maria, Bella's personal servant, was cowering beside a large man. A very large man. He reminded Bella of all those trees; extremely tall and towering over Maria, and rather thin. His hair was greasy and a dirty blonde, hanging down in his dark eyes while the rest of it was tied up in a hair tie, with bushy eyebrows and a thin goatee. His face was tough and hard, wrinkles in his forehead from glaring so much, his skin tanned and red in some places from sun burn. His clothes were all silk and shiny, hanging loose on his body. Bella didn't need to ask who this was.

"Prince James, I presume?" She raised an eyebrow, setting her book down on the bench next to her. A clear message that she didn't want company on it.

The man grunted with a nod, bowing at the waist. "Princess Isabella, a pleasure to meet you at last." His voice was rough and gravelly, like he had been screaming the entire way there. "Your father sent me to collect you. The sun will set soon and everyone is fathering in the dining hall for the meal."

With a sigh, Bella got to her feet and nodded. "Best not keep them waiting long, then." The three began back to the castle with the sun at their backs. Bella's brows furrowed as she curiously looked at the bruise on the side of Maria's face. "What is that from?" Her voice oozed concern. Maria had been the closes thing to a friend of Bella's.

Said servant looked away from the Princess' eyes. "Tis nothing, m'lady. I fell on my way here." She hastily replied.

James huffed. "I tire of your presence; be gone." He boomed out at Maria, raising his hand when she paused.

Bella watched Maria scurry away and turned to glare at the man beside her. "Did you hit Maria?" She demanded.

Those dark eyes narrowed on Bella. "Do not glare at me or use those tones." He grabbed her wrist when she stepped away.

"Let go of me!" She growled, trying to pull from his grip.

He only squeezed harder until she whimpered. "I will speak and do whatever I wish to whomever I want. Especially my future wife." He yanked her up against his chest and began walking to the castle again. "You'll be better off learning that quickly."

Bella said nothing the entire way back, glaring out at the ground in front of her as she stewed on this new information. James was nothing but polite when they entered the castle and passed everyone, smiling and exchanging a few words with people on their way to the dining room. His hand never left Bella's though, and his grip never slackened, making her lose feeling in her fingers a few times.

At dinner, he laughed and joked with her father. He complimented her mother and the castle itself, exclaiming how beautiful it was and how bigger it was than his father's. He spoke of horses, Bella's father briefly commented on hers and how no one but the Princess seemed to be able to ride it. James advised killing the animal, but Bella knew her father wouldn't; she loved that horse.

She watched James throughout the meal with scrutiny. He had no manners. Sure, he could charm people with his words, but he used his fingers to eat a lot of his food, and would wipe his mouth on the back of his sleeve. He'd belch as well, and slurp his wine. If it weren't for his clothes; she would have never guessed this man a prince.

When the meal was over, he went with her father and a couple of the noblemen who were staying at the castle for the wedding at the end of the week. Bella herself followed her mother up to the library on the second floor, standing in the doorway and idly playing with the sleeve of her dress.

Her mother turned from one of the many shelves of books, looking at her daughter. "What is it you want, Bella?" She asked.

Bella was hesitant to speak her mind. Her mother, seemingly understand Bella's frustration with aspects of her life, never did anything about them. Never comforted her, never told her it would get better. Bella figured her way of thinking was that if she had to do it, so did her daughter. The princess couldn't even imagine ever forcing this on her own daughter one day. "I… I do not want to marry that man, mother."

A great sigh left the queen. "Again with your complaints? I thought you were over this already. It must be done, Bella, so we can unite our kingdoms."

"But I don't like him." Bella huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Her mother's glare formed. "Uncross your arms and fix your attitude; young women do not act as such." She said, nodding when Bella did so. "As for liking James, no one is asking you to. That doesn't change the fact that you still have to marry him. We do things we don't like for the betterment of our kingdom, you know this. Why must you continue to question tradition? "

"Because it isn't fair, mother!" She said, trying to keep her voice calm, her face void of emotion. Bella _hated_ being royalty. She hated having to do everything for everyone else at the expense of living her own life, of having her own happiness. She would trade all her silk clothing, all her jewellery, all of her possessions for the option to live her life the way she wanted.

Her mother just shook her head, going back to her books. "Life is not fair, dear. There is nothing you can do about it. Just like there is nothing you can do to avoid marrying James. You have no choice."

Footsteps echoed down the stone hallway as Bella left the library, heading to her bedroom chambers. "You always have a choice, mother, and I will finally make one." She mumbled to herself, closing the large oak door behind her and looking around. "Forgive me father, I hate to disobey, but I cannot marry that… that monster down there with you." She said, knowing he'd never hear her apologies.

Bella tossed the leather bag down onto her bed, racing around her room. She grabbed two of her favourite books, a case of matches and a lantern, though she would have to carry that outside the bag and a few light sheets in case it got cold. She filled the rest of the bag with the most expensive things she could find in her room, knowing she would need coins to get anywhere. Her hand hesitated as it hovered over the small picture of her brother, who had passed three years ago. She would feel even guiltier about all this if she brought it, and him, with her, but she needed his strength. She quickly set the picture of him in her bag and tied it up, heading out into the hall once more.

Her long silky dress wasn't exactly…practical, nor were any of the others in her wardrobe. Bella bit her lip and pressed her ear against the door of one of the noblemen's rooms, listening for any movement inside. When she heard none, she crept inside and closed the door again, setting the bag down by the window. This was the room of Sir John Henry, a very slight and short man. She whipped open his wardrobe, stripping her dress off and pulled on a pair of his black pants. They were very loose, but she had a few pins in her hair that she used to pin the pants tighter, her hair falling down her back. She hurriedly pulled on the pouffy white button up, missing a few buttons here and there in her haste, before pulling on the leather vest over top that was much tighter than the rest of the clothes, buttoning it up.

"Bella? Bella, dear, where are you?" She heard her mother call out in the hall.

With even more speed, as to not give her time to chicken out, Bella pulled on the boots beside the wardrobe and tied the black hooded cloak around her neck, revelling in its wooly warmth. It had been getting cooler and cooler out lately, and she knew winter was only a month or two away. Looking around the room and going through a mental check list, Bella nodded to herself and turned to grab her bag and open the window. She wasn't the most coordinated person in the world, but… well, there were bushes all around the castle, so hopefully she would land on one of those if she fell. There were also vines growing up most of the walls, including this one, so she figured she'd be able to climb down those.

"Isabella?" James voice echoed throughout the castle, along with her mother's and a few maids'.

She shook the nervousness from herself and looked out the window, letting the leather bag drop onto the bushes. It didn't make much of a noise. With a quiet grunt, Bella hoisted herself out of the window and turned around, gripping the sill. She squeezed her chocolate brown eyes shut and sent off a few prayers before starting to climb down. The vines were rough on her hands, and she was sure she was bleeding at least a little, but she continued on. By the time she was ten or so feet to the ground, her foot got stuck. "What? No, come on." She whispered to herself, pulling on her foot. She bit her lip and gave one hard tug- "Gah!"

The air was knocked from Bella's lungs as her back connected with the ground, the stars up in the black sky above her spinning around and around for a few seconds. When they settled, she sat up and looked around, spotting her bag and snatched it up. It wasn't that hard to sneak passed what guards were on patrol, seeing as the were all liquored up. How no one ever invaded and conquered her father's kingdom was beyond Bella.

Tip toeing, Bella came to the Equestrians stables, lit lanterns on the front of all the stables. She crept down behind them to the very last one, quickly blowing out that lantern. After opening the little gate, she calmed the startled horse by whispering his name and petting his nose. "Easy, Buck, calm down. It's me." She murmured and the horse relaxed. The horse was very accurately named, seeing as whenever anyone who wasn't the princess tried to ride him; he'd immediately buck them off. He was a beautiful horse too; his coat slick, shiny and black, his main almost silky to the touch. And he was healthy too, in better shape than any of the other horses. Bella quickly grabbed his black saddle and buckled it up and on him, tying her bag to it and a few other things, like the extra lantern. There was a canteen handing on the wall as well that she swiped, knowing the perfect place to stop and fill it. She used to go there with her brother during the day; it was a small, clear creek running through the forest.

Just as Bella was about to squeeze her ankles into Buck's sides and take off, a boy stepped in front of the stall. Garrett, to be more specific. He wasn't much older than Bella, in his pants, under shirt and suspenders, with a pitch fork in one hand. He cocked his head to the side, taking everything in. "Princess? What are you doing - you know everyone is looking for you, right? And it's too late to go riding; the sun's been down for a couple hours." He said.

"You mustn't tell anyone you saw me, Garrett." Bella said quickly, hearing the dogs and guards off in the distance. Garrett's brows furrowed as he looked way down in their direction, before his eyes widened and he looked back. "Please, Garrett… do this for me. Please."

He hesitated, knowing it was right…but… "Is this fellow the one who hit Maria?" He asked seriously. Bella nodded, a frown taking purchase on her face. He nodded his own head, looking down both ways again. "Go down through the path in the woods behind the castle. I'll tell them I saw you take off for the main road up front."

"Thank you." Bella whispered, tightening her hold on Buck's reins as he shot forward and to the woods behind the castle. The wind blew the large black hood off her head, making the cloak and her mahogany hair whip back and dance in the breeze as she rode off, farther and farther down the path, deeper into the woods.

**XXxxXXxxXXxxXX**

The forest had always been one of Bella's favourite places. During the day when the sun was shining and the birds were chirping; it was so green and full of life. The trees would dance in the wind, the flowers stretching up to the sun, emanating their perfume, squirrels and chipmunks racing around. Bella enjoyed spending ours out there, in a tree with a book, or just walking about and enjoying the scenery.

At night, it was like the woods were a whole different place. All the trees stretched up to the moon; their branches like the bony fingers of death reaching out and clawing at Bella and Buck as they raced by, clinging to her hair or the cloak. The sky was completely black and there were no more stars to gaze up at; no moon to light her way. The forest floor was covered in dead leaves and snapped twigs, uprooted roots buck had to jump over, small boulders getting in the way. A thin layer of fog hovered just above it, getting stirred up and whisked away as the two passed. There were no singing birds, the flowers hidden in the fog, the only animals around were owls staring with their wide eyes, or howling off in the distance.

Bella did not like the woods at night.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed, but Buck was exhausted and slowed down to a walk, huffing and breathing heavily. Bella's heart was still pounding in her chest, whether it was from fear of the forest or adrenaline from running away, she wasn't sure. Her cheeks were flushed, a light sheen of sweat on her forehead making her bangs cling to the skin and the back of her neck, her knuckles white from how tight she was gripping the reins.

A chill ran down her spine and she turned this way and that in the saddle. Someone was… watching her. She could feel their gaze. Her heart started beating even faster, her eyes getting wide as she whipped around and around, scanning all the trees and shadows for sight of anyone. Right when she was about to laugh it off and tell herself that it was all in her head, Buck tensed and froze, looking up and to the side. He felt it too.

Low, rumbling growling filled the woods all around Bella and she jumped. A shadow flickered off to the side and both Bella and Buck whipped their heads around to look.

Nothing.

Bella continued turning around and around, more slowly this time, and strained her eyes to pick something up.

There!

Freezing, her breath caught in her throat, Bella let out a little yelp. Deep, glowing yellow irises were staring at her, a large, bulky silhouette between two trees. A louder growl filled the her ears as the silhouette shuddered and crouched down. Bella and Buck watched with wide, unblinking eyes, as a large, clawed paw stepped out of the shadow, a furry, matted leg attached to it. Terror continued to fill Bella, the paw and leg soon turning into a whole body of a beast. She wasn't sure if it was man or animal, at this point; just that it had a crazed look in those yellow eyes.

Dirty, tangled, and muddy fur covered its entire body, muscles rippling underneath it. It's paws though…they were more like feet and hands; longer, curved, like a human's, with claws at the end. Its body too, was hunched over, not quite a man's, but not quite an animals; the arms and legs all extremely long to keep its shoulders level with its hips; again, like a human bending over with very long arms, only not. There were knees too, knees like a man's that bent forward. Its face though, the ears were long and pointed, long crooked fangs protruding from its closed mouth, unable to fit inside. Its nose was elongated, almost like a snout but not quite, its nose that of a dog's. Finally, it had the forehead and eyes of a man.

Still frozen with terror, Bella watched this beast stand up on its hind legs, sticking its nose in the air to take a deep breath. Its jaws opened, drool and foam spilling from it, and a snarl shattered the silence that turned into a howl halfway through.

Before anyone could react or blink, the beast launched itself at Bella, tackling her off the horse and onto the forest floor before. The stench of its breath rolled over her face, feeling more like steam than anything else as it glared and snarled down at her. She let out the loudest scream of her life, feeling it rip from her throat and leave her lungs burning. The beast yelped as well, staggering back away from her and clawing at its ears.

A loud, long whistle interrupted her scream, making it die in her throat. Both her and the beast looked up and over to yet another bulking form standing up on the slightly hill to the side. This, however, was most definitely human. Or human shaped. Bella wasn't sure what to believe anymore. He was big though, standing tall, much taller than her though not as tall as the beast, and thick with muscle. His arms looked more like tree trunks, crossed over his large chest. What he was wearing was…odd. His boots were much the same as Bella's herself, along with his pants, though much dirtier. He wore suspenders as well over his dirty blue button up, but the odd thing wasn't any of that. On his shoulder looked like… a metal plate, really, shining brightly. It curved to cover his entire shoulder, and then smaller different metal places ran all down his arm, curving to it to fit, seemed to be strapped on from under his arm. Even on the back of his hand was another small curved metal plate and even tinier ones on the base of his fingers. That was all on his left arm, each plate with some sort of design engraved in it. Strapped to his back was an enormous sword, brilliant and shining even without moonlight reflecting off of it. Bella didn't think she would be able to lift it.

The man ran a hand through his hair, a giant grin taking place on his face. "That's on hell of a set of pipes you've got on you." He commented. "Unfortunately, the only thing that's going to get rid of this sucker for sure is silver."

An arrow sailed through the air, little more than a blur. The beast snarled, its human like hand reaching up and holding the arrow stuck in its chest. Bella looked up and around to where the arrow came from, gasping at the man in the tree. He had his crossbow all lined up for the next shot, the arrow head ready to go, silver like the large man said. The man holding the crossbow wasn't nearly as big as the other one, more average looking. His hair was a mix of blonde and gold, hiding under a large dark brown hat. He had on a grey shirt with a black scarf with a black leather vest over that, under a long dark leather coat, with dark pants and boots, and leather gloves.

There was one final man leaning against the tree the other one was in. He had unruly bronze hair, defying gravity, with a few pieces hanging down in his shining emerald eyes. He had obviously been outside when it rained a little while ago, all of them had, it appeared. He too, wore a white button up shirt, under a long black coat that had elaborate brocade designs at the neck, torso, and cuffs. Large gold buttons keeping it closed match the large gold hoop in his left ear. On his hands were fingerless black leather gloves, his pants black and leather, with expensive, dark looking shoes. A bag's strap hung across his chest, a bag hanging at his side.

Everyone seemed to be waiting, staring at everyone else. It was quiet, the only sound that of each person breathing, all their breath visible in the air. Bella's fingers were starting to feel numb; it was getting colder and colder, or maybe she was just in shock. She couldn't tell.

With a deep growl, the beast turned back to Bella, roaring as it reached out again.

Only to be flung off to the side as Buck neighed and, well, bucked it. The big man boomed out a laugh before reaching over his shoulder and gripping the blade's handle, swinging it over and down in one swift movement, plunging it into the beast's chest. His brows furrowed as he twisted the blade and Bella looked away, squeezing her eyes shut. The man waited until the beast stopped struggling and became silent, pulling the blade from its heart and taking out a handkerchief to wipe the blood off, sheathing it on his back once more. That had been relatively easy, since the horse dazed it, and the big man considered buying his own horse.

Bella tensed as she felt someone in front of her, cracking open her eyes to meet a pair of green ones. The man with the unruly bronze hair pursed his lips as he held out a hand. "It's over. Come on, now." He said gently.

Hesitating, Bella took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. "What…what _was_ that? And how…where did you come from? I…"

The large man strolled over as the last one jumped from the tree branch he was on, landing on the ground with a soft thud and hooked the cross bow onto his back. "That right there was a werewolf. Nasty buggers, they are. Smelly too." He grinned, waving his hand in front of his face. "And we came from the city…north of here? West?" He said, looking around. "Eh, a couple miles in that direction." He pointed over his shoulder.

Bella stared in wonder at the body of the beast…werewolf. "That's not possible. Werewolves aren't real…they're myths. Legends made to scare children and keep them out of the woods at night. They're only real in books."

The large man snorted. "I wish. That'd make life a whole lot easier." He paused. "Though, we'd be out of a job."

"What, you kill werewolves for a living?" Bella asked.

He shrugged. "More or less. We hunt werewolves, vampires, trolls, amongst other things." His eyebrows shot up. "Oh! Where are our manners. I'm Emmett, that's Edward, and this here is Jasper. Pleasure to meet you." He said, sticking out his hand.

Once more, she hesitated. "…Bella."

Emmett grinned. "So what are you doing way out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Doing a horrid job of not getting killed, obviously." Bella replied.

Emmett and Jasper laughed while Edward frowned, obviously not the joking type. "That you are, Miss Bella." Jasper chuckled, with a southern drawl. "Could we take you anywhere, where were you heading?"

Biting her lip, Bella looked around. "I wasn't. I just… I was heading away from the, um, Swan Castle."

"And why is that?" Edward asked.

"That's where I came from. I don't like traveling in circles." Bella shot back with a glare. "Not that I see how it is any of your business."

Jasper looked from Edward to Bella, offering a friendly smile. "Well, if there's nowhere specific you'd like to be; you're welcome to travel with us for however long you like. I'm not too sure you'd want to though, seeing as this is a common occurrence in our daily lives." He said, gesturing to the beast's body.

Looking at the body, blood seeping from its chest, and then to all the men, Bella considered everything. These men were seemingly genuine and friendly, caring enough to save her and offer her the invitation. And she certainly didn't want to travel alone anytime soon, not after this. There was also the fact that she couldn't deny how…fascinating this was, and all the information these men had to know about…what used to be myth to her. Supernatural things like this had always been a passion of Bella's, being her favourite kind of tales or books. Travelling with them _did_ seem to be the better option. "I'd like that, thank you." She nodded.

Emmett clapped his hands together with a grin. "Great! First stop; the closest stable - I want to scrounge up enough coin to buy me a horse like that." He said, pointing to Buck.

**XxxXxxX**

One year. It had been one years since Princess Isabella ran away and met those boys that one fateful night. One year since she had explained to them her situation, and with their help became Bella Whitlock, adopting the last name all three of the boys went by.

They weren't related by blood, not even close. They all found each other though, all brought together by the supernatural. Jasper had been a young boy when a coven of vampires passed through his village and left it a burning mess when they were done. Ever since then, he had become a Hunter, hunting down vampires and any other mythical being like them. In his travels, he came across Emmett who had been on the verge of death, trying to fight off a werewolf much like Bella had. Jasper saved him, helped him back to health, and the two had been inseparable. Years later, they came across Edward, the Magician.

Edward was not human, and originally they had been hunting him. He was what people had started calling a Witch, though he still called himself and others of his kind; Magicians. They were like humans in almost every way, except for their ability with magic. Edward could do many things from healing wounds with a touch of his hands, to hurling a ball of fire, which came in handy when dealing with vampires. The two had met him in the weirdest way.

While out hunting him, they stumbled upon an ogre den. Unprepared, they…didn't fare well in that fight. Edward had to save them. He joined them after that, for his own reasons he wouldn't discuss. Jasper deduced it had something to do with his fiancee and a curse that had killed her, and now Edward was upholding his vow on finding the Magician who did it and killing him.

A week or so after travelling with the three, Bella told them her tale. Her identity, told them about James, running away, everything. After hearing their stories, Bella couldn't bring herself to leave them, she had grown to like them, and over the next few months, love them like the brothers she never had. So she became one of them.

They travelled to a large city where Bella sold all her expensive trinkets and whatnot, getting a good amount of coin. With that, they bought a manor, filling it with gadgets and weapons, clothes, furniture, and food. Word travelled fast of the four and what they did for a living, and people from all over wrote to them and hired them to take care of supernatural…issues and problems, willing to pay a wealthy amount.

Over the months, the four bought horses and better equipment. All their boots had thin, but sturdy metal plating in the toes; excellent for kicking without hurting themselves, if at a loss for a weapon. Blades and knives, sharpened to the extremes, shined and engraved filled cases and displays in the manor. Bows and arrows, crossbows, bolts, and different long ranged weapons hung on the walls. Spell Books, potions, and other magical items filled the attic where Edward's study was. The four were living well and doing good for themselves.

**XXxxXXxxXX**

"Hm." Jasper hummed, sitting in the leather, high back chair under the lamp. His feet were propped up on the small table in the middle of the living room, a newspaper in hand with a pipe in his mouth. Jasper had never smoked in his life, but wouldn't ever say why he constantly had the pipe in his mouth. It was mind-boggling. His grey eyes looked up from the paper to the window seat at the front of the manor, down the hall where Bella was constantly perched, looking out down below at the busy city. "King Charles and Queen Renee had another baby last week, Bella." He commented, loud enough for her to hear. "A new heir to the throne, now that they've given up search for Princess Isabella."

Bella grunted, pressing her palm against the cool pane of the window, closing her eyes and feeling the rain drops pelt against it.

It was just her and Jasper in the manor at the time. Edward was out to collect the mail at the post office, retrieving the rewards and payment for the last three jobs they did. The four hardly ever spoke face to face with their…employers, and usually only communicated through mail. So far no one had the guts to try and rip them off; not paying. After all, who wants on the bad side of the people who kill werewolves and ogres for a living?

The last brother, Emmett, was also out. There had been recent vampiric activity in the city, and they had narrowed it down to a specific area. More specifically, a tavern. Emmett was there doing recon…or sleeping with one of the barmaids; Miss Hale. Either way, he had an eye on _something_ down there.

Furrowing her brows, Bella untucked her legs from beneath her and got up. "I think I'll go see what our dear brother is up to." She announced, walking to the front door to slip on her boots. She wore a pair of tight black pants, with a red button up, and a tight black leather vest, very similar to what she wore the day the boys found her, only this time it all fit. But it was raining out, and colder, so she pulled on a light black coat over top and a pair of black leather gloves.

"Which one?" Jasper asked, going back to his paper.

"The crude one." She replied. Edward and Emmett were so different. One a prude while the other so crude he could make a sailor blush.

"Have fun." Jasper called as she walked out the door, buckling her belt and letting it hang around her waist. It was lined with small, silver throwing knives…just in case.

London was very chilly this time of the year, very chilly and wet. Bella's breath was visible as she hopped off the steps in front of her door and started down the sidewalk, shoving her hands into her pockets. The sky was grey and it was lightly drizzling out, though not enough for one to need an umbrella or hat, just enough to leave a nice sheen of moisture on everything outdoors. Bella offered a smile or nod to people who greeted her, though they were very few. Mostly people tried to keep their distance.

It didn't bother her though, for two reasons. One - she didn't see the appeal. Of people, to be specific. There was no need for interaction with them, mostly because she wasn't good at it, but also because it was too much of a hassle. No one else was like Edward, Jasper, and Emmett. She couldn't just be and talk to them like she could her brothers.

But the second reason was because they didn't mean any offence. Not at all, it wasn't like they had anything against the four local Hunters. On the contrary; the Hunters kept them safe. They just didn't want the risk. The risk of being around when a fight breaks out, or getting too close and risking the possibility of becoming leverage. Bella and the others understood this, and didn't hold it against anyone.

After a couple blocks, Bella stopped outside the tavern, looking up at the place. Very… victorian, with lots of deep dark reds, blues, some grey, and black. Quite a nice establishment. From what she could remember Emmett saying, the tavern/bar was ran by Carlisle, while the…entertainment/escorts were run by Esme. Emmett would go on and on about how Esme married Carlisle and how she came to run things there. Before, the girls were mostly just runaways or peasants doing what they had to do to make some coin, and the tavern was just a common place to do that. Esme came in and organized them, gave them their own rooms for a small profit, clothed them, and handled men who got… too aggressive. She took care of them and changed them from drunken, sleazy girls, into proper…escorting ladies.

Pursing her lips, Bella pushed the doors open and entered, the smell of whiskey thick in the air. The inside looked much bigger than the outside; there were a set of stairs immediately off to the right that led to the second level where the rooms were, and on the ground floor was large open floor. There was a bar far off on the wall, with tables and benches, and everything scattered about. And the place was packed, really packed, and Bella almost bumped into someone right inside the door.

Her eyes tried, in vain, to scan the room. It was something Edward had taught her; the first thing you ever do, _ever_, is scan the place. Look for cover spots, exits, blind spots, vantage points, and then move onto people; the shifty ones, people who are just waiting to spout off information to the first person who will listen, etc. It was impossible to do in this place with all the people, so Bella huffed and started elbowing her way through the crowd to look for her giant brother.

Finally, she reached the back and leaned against the corner of the bar, shaking her head in disbelief. How could so many people fit? How was it possible?

"What can I get you, little lady?" A thick, french accent asked her.

Bella turned and regarded the dark man curiously. "Perhaps a little information, Mr…?"

"Laurent." Laurent said, grinning and sticking out his hand.

She took it with her own smile. "Yes, well I need to find someone who came in here a little while ago."

"I'm afraid I just started my shift. You can ask one of the girls though; they usually know anything about everything." Laurent offered. "I'd try Miss Alice or Miss Maggie; they'll likely give you the least trouble about it."

After pointing her in the right direction, Bella headed for the stairs, taking them two at a time. She counted the doors down the hall and then hesitated before raising her hand to knock. Just before she did, her ears picked up noise on the other side. "-don't know what you're talking about!" The voice was light, female, and terrified.

"You do, and you'll tell me what I want to know or I will start ripping off fingers!" Another voice snarled, feral like.

Bella recognized it immediately and the velvety quality it carried. Vampire. She silently cursed in her head; pissed that she hadn't brought a pistol, before raising her foot and kicking the door in.

A pale figure was looming over a petite woman on the bed. He was male, obviously, with long dirty blonde hair spilling over his shoulders, ruby red eyes glaring down into the woman's face. His pale hands had her wrists pinned above her head, his knees on her stomach and on the bed beside her, keeping her restrained no matter how much she struggled. His fangs had dropped, provoked from his anger, and a constant growl was rumbling from his chest.

"Don't start the fun without me." Bella said, strolling into the room.

The vampire hissed, his eyes darkening. "Get lost and you'll live, human." He spat.

Bella ignored him, looking at the woman beneath him. Her green eyes were wide with fright, her face full of freckles, and red curls surrounding it. It was Laurent's description of Miss Maggie. "Listen, I hate to interrupt and all, but I need to speak with Maggie here."

The man faltered, his glare turning angrier and more frustrated as he looked back at the woman. "Maggie? Where's Alice?" He demanded. When she didn't respond, her started squeezing her wrists, making her cry out.

Another small girl burst from the closet, tears in her electric blue eyes. "Stop!" She screamed. Her skin was almost as pale as the vampire, her features small but sharp and elegant. Her hair was darker than the night sky and cropped short, her height quite small. She probably only came up to Bella's shoulder. "I'm Alice! Let her go!"

The vampire surged up from the bed, stalking towards Alice, and Bella took her chance now that there was no innocent nearby to get caught in the cross fire. With a flick of her wrist, one of the knives on her belt shot off, pinning the vampire's cloak to the wall, watching him. Everyone whipped their heads around to look at her winking. "Hunter!" The vampire hissed, crouching low and ripping the cloak. Before anyone could blink, he blurred off through the window, out into the cloudy London city.

Bella sighed. "They never want to take their chances with us anymore. I hate chasing." She grumbled.

Alice, picking up her jaw from the ground, rushed over to the brunette. "You're a Hunter?"

"Last time I checked." Bella nodded.

"You must help me; I'm in grave danger." Alice said, furrowing her brows. "He was a member of the Volturi, sent to take me back to them."

Bella's eyebrows rose. "The Volturi, you say?" Alice nodded fiercely. "I need to speak with my brothers first. One of them is here, a very large man-"

"Emmett is down the hall with Rosalie." Alice said, grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her out the room and down the hall. She banged on the door before entering, and Bella quickly slapped her hand over her eyes.

"Alice!" Rosalie shrieked, pulling her bed sheets up over her chest as she glared at the shorter girl. "Just what in the hell are you doing?"

Emmett cocked his head to the side. "Bells?"

Blushing furiously and avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room, Bella spoke to the wall. "Hello, Emmett."

"What are you doing here?"

"Do you think you could put some pants on before I answer that?" She replied. She waited for him to do so and sighed in relief when he did, getting up out of the bed to put on his shirt. "I came here looking for you, mostly out of boredom, when I found a vampire on top of a girl down the hall."

Rosalie gasped and Alice chimed in. "Yes, he was questioning Maggie about me. Rose, he was from the Volturi - they've come for me!" She cried, running over and throwing herself on the bed, wrapping her arms around the blonde who held the smaller girl tight. "What are we going to do?"

Rosalie looked from Alice up to Emmett who ran a hand through his hair. "Uh, well, she could stay with us." Bella gave him a look. "You know, until we sort this all out. For safety though, she should be staying with us in the meantime."

"And where will she bunk?" Bell shot back.

Emmett hesitated. "With you?"

"Please," Alice said, the tears still not gone from her eyes. "Please; I can't stay here and risk the others getting hurt because of me. I'll pay you, I swear, I'll give you everything I own. Please."

Huffing, Bella crossed her arms over her chest. "No, you don't need to. I've never turned down a person in need and I'm not about to. Come on, let's go pack your stuff." She grumbled with a scowl. Bella wasn't about to let some vampire, a Volturi no less, hurt this girl. She was so small and vulnerable and Bella had the overwhelming urge to protect her.

She sighed and followed Alice back down the hall, unable to shake the feeling that this girl would be the death of her.

**XxXxXxX**

**I go and try not to back these ones shots go on and on and on, and try to end them, but this is how it turns out. What kind of ending is this? A crap ending, that's what.**

***sigh***

**Oh well. What's done is done.**

**Review and whatnot.**

**-Paige.**


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